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I recently attended my very first meeting as a Fishful Thinking faculty member. And I cannot even begin to tell you how inspiring it is to listen to everyone! The meeting was only an hour long, but could have easily gone on for a lot longer – with very few complaints from everyone who was there!

Anyway, the meeting kicked my butt into gear for another wonderful year of Fishful Thinking. One of the things we chatted about was concentrating on the positive things in life rather than the negative. (An incredible example that was shared by Kelli, and then expanded on, was a Warm Fuzzy chart where the kids identify kind acts in each other and award warm fuzzies for the kind act. I’m SO doing that in my house!)

To get my kids starting to think more positive thoughts, I did the Positive Habits activity with each kid – individually. Here are their (unedited, mostly unprompted) answers. (Keep in mind that we were outside while discussing these; I suspect if we were inside, I would have gotten much different answers!)

Maggie – Age 5.5

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

Flips

Dress up

Hug my mommy

Swing

Ride my bike

Hula Hoop

How does it feel to do those things?

Happy!

Really, REALLY happy!

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

Easter Hunt

Show things at school I really like (like flips)

Swim without noodles

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

Draw

Eat more salad

Make nice soup

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

Plant salad stuff

Go to a farmer together

Go to the store together

Burke – Age 5.5

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

Make snow angels

Play baseball

Play Freeze ball/freeze tag

Hula Hoop

How does it feel to do those things?

Good! (with a BIG smile)

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

Skateboard

Ride my bike without training wheels

Draw

Eat lunch at school

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

Practice baseball

Practice reading

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

Give kisses and hugs

Throw a ball back and forth

Find books at the library

Play at the playground

Logan – Age 3

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

Baseball

Dig holes

Feed myself

How does it feel to do those things?

Good! (with a BIG smile)

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

Baseball better

Swing in Burke and Maggie’s swings (out of his baby swing)

Climb poles

ABCs

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

Practice baseball

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

Go to a baseball game

swing a baseball bat

throw my shoes

Maggie – Age 5.5

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

Flips

Dress up

Hug my mommy

Swing

Ride my bike

Hula Hoop

How does it feel to do those things?

Happy!

Really, REALLY happy!

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

Easter Hunt

Show things at school I really like (like flips)

Swim without noodles

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

Draw

Eat more salad

Make nice soup

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

4 Responses

Aw…I love their lists! Swim without noodles & riding without training wheels – those would be big for my kids too. I am going to do this with my kids too.

And I am SO glad that you liked the warm fuzzy idea. That made my day reading that you guys are going to try it too. I actually have a little write-up about it that I’m sending in to a family magazine so we’ll see what happens! 🙂

LOVE this activity. we did it with our 14 yr old daughter. it is interesting to see the difference in lists comparing little ones to a teenager.

i agree the call could have gone on longer and i would have been THRILLED. i just wish there had been more opportunity to hear more from Dr. Reivich and the other faculty members. You are going to really love this group of women, hopefully on future calls more people will be able to speak.